Every morning, Chucky Rosa goes to the beach, says a prayer for his two sons who have passed away, and jumps into the water.

He spends much of the rest of his time trying to help kids avoid his sons’ fate.

On Wednesday (Feb. 26), the students Rosa talked to were the seventh and eighth grade classes from Pembroke Community Middle School (PCMS).

“Over the last 10 or so years, I go to [schools], jails, youth detention centers, and try to teach people about drugs and alcohol and what it’s done to my family,” he said to the packed PCMS auditorium. “I’m here for you guys. Nothing else.”

Rosa said he has personally dealt with drug and alcohol problems over the years and understands how hard it is to stay clean.

“[I haven’t been clean and sober] long enough,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time I had anything, but it’s been awhile.”

He said when he was younger he would run into problems with relapse. Now he knows that he can never have just one drink.

“One turns into 21,” he said. “I used to start and stop and start and stop. My sons used to do the same thing.”

Rosa’s son Dominic died after accidentally overdosing on heroin at the age of 23. But he wasn’t the only child Rosa lost to a drug overdose. His younger son Vincent died nine months earlier at the age of just 20, after trying a fentanyl patch for the first time. Rosa described the patch as something similar to morphine, which is used to control pain and is worn as a patch.

He said even though Dominic was the one with a more consistent problem, he thought the death of his brother would be a wake up call and help him shake the addiction.

“Even after Vincent passed away, I said well there’s no way it will happen again,” he said. “They were both scared to death of needles, it shows you how powerful addiction is.”

After his sons died, Rosa scattered their ashes into the ocean. Ever since, he makes his daily trek to the beach, prays for them and everyone else dealing with drug and alcohol abuse, and jumps in.

“No matter if it’s only 20 degrees or even if it’s the coldest day of the year,” he said. Rosa said he hasn’t missed a day in the water in more than a year.

Rosa has four other children as well, including a son, Charles, who overcame drug abuse issues to recently become a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

Page 2 of 2 - “You’ll probably see him on TV soon,” Rosa said.

Rosa said one of the most important keys to overcoming drug and alcohol abuse is to have replacement activities – hobbies, sports or other activities. For Rosa’s son, Charles it was mixed martial arts, but also yoga and other training exercises to prepare for fights. Charles also gardens and cooks, Rosa said.

After Rosa introduced himself to students, he left the auditorium while videos highlighting his story were played for the students. He said he doesn’t like to watch the videos and always excuses himself until they’re over. When he returned to the room, he took questions form the kids about drugs like heroin and marijuana and talked about the importance of avoiding “gateway drugs.”

After the Q&A, Rosa wrapped up his presentation by handing out dog tags to the students. He said he wanted them to pledge to stay off drugs and to be the best version of themselves.

“You guys are not kids anymore, you’re young adults,” he said. “You have to set an example.”

Rosa’s presentation was just one step in a comprehensive process PCMS is taking to educate students about drug abuse issues. Dr. Kate Salas, the school counselor said the school started a drug prevention unit this year, which includes the presentation for the students, a class to inform kids in a classroom and even a workshop for parents.

“We have Marilyn Belmonte coming in on March 5 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for a workshop with the parents,” she said. “We’re trying to stay on top of things.”

Salas said traditionally schools just give students one presentation, or class. She said she thought the ideas would stick with the kids more if presented from multiple angles.